()44 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE [Nov. 17, 



the margins of the feathers, the external web of the outer tail-feather 

 creamy white, the penultimate one broadly margined with the same ; 

 over the eye a broad superciliary streak of creamy buff; lores and sides 

 of face buffy white, the cheeks thickly spotted with black, the ear- 

 coverts washed with rufous ; throat white, with a few tiny specks of 

 brown on the lower part ; rest of under surface isabelline fulvous, the 

 breast washed with fawn rufous and mottled with rufous-brown bars, 

 some of the new triangular-spotted feathers just appearing. 



Hab. The eastern districts of the Cape colony, ranging from 

 Natal and the Transvaal into Damara Land. 



Specimens examined. 



E mus. Brit. : — a, ad. South Africa (F. Campbell), b, c. South 

 Africa (Sir A. Smith). d, $> ad. Cape of Good Hope, e, f, g, 

 3 $. Natal (Ayres). h, i, d 1 . Elephant Vley, Damara Land, 

 Nov. 12th & 29th, 1859 (C J. Andersson). 



Emus.R.B. S. :— a, juv. Eland's Post, March 15th, 1870 (T. 

 C. Atmore). b, c,d, <$ 5 . Eland's Post(7 7 . C.A.). e, d. Eland's 

 Post, June 1870 (7'. C. A.), f, d- Transvaal (Ayres). 



Emus. H.B. Tristram: — a. Natal (Ayres). 



16. MlRAFRA CHENIANA*. 



Megalophonus chenianus, Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 382 (1844); Bp. 

 Consp. i. p. 244(1850); Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 214 (1867, ex Smith); 

 Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 259. * 



Mirafra cheniana, Smith, 111. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 89. fig. 2 

 (1849, err. pro fig. 1). 



Alauda cheniana, Giebel, Thes. Orn. p. 293 (1872). 



Adult (type of species). Above dark brown, almost blackish, the 

 feathers margined with sandy rufous, especially broad on the hind 

 neck, some few of the scapular feathers with narrow fulvous tips ; 

 wings rufous, the coverts having dark brown bases, the greater series 

 dark brown, margined with rufous, shading off into fulvous on 

 extreme edge ; quills dark brown, with very broad rufous margins, the 

 edges of the secondaries more fulvous ; upper tail-coverts dark brown, 

 with ashy fulvous margins ; tail dark brown, the two centre feathers 

 margined with rufous, shading off" into fulvous towards the tips ; the 

 two outermost feathers pure white, with a touch of brown near the 

 base of the outer, but occupying the half of the inner web of the penul- 

 timate feather for all its length, as well as a short distance towards 

 the end of the shaft ; feathers above and below the eye, forming a 

 distinct eyebrow, creamy buff; ear-coverts rufous, slightly mottled 

 with dark brown, as also are the cheeks and sides of the neck, which 

 are white ; throat white, unspotted ; rest of under surface creamy 

 buff, strongly inclining to rufous on the chest, which is marked with 

 triangular spots of dark brown, inclining to streaks on the sides of 



* The name of Alauda chuana, Smith (Report Exp. S. Afr., App. p. 4G), 

 probably refers to this species, but was afterwards suppressed by that author. 

 The description, however, is scarcely good enough to allow of a strict identifica- 

 tion ; and it seems best to acquiesce in the wishes of Sir Andrew Smith, and 

 suppress the title (cf. Newton, Ibis, 1868, p. 270 ; Layard, cp. cit. I860, p. 78). 



